Vive le Tour

[Morgan30]

its a finish that suits Thor Hushovd, solid all rounder with great sprint ability wouldnt be shocked if he gets up tonight

 

[bulldogmariner]

Another break away will be the order of the day as gc riders get ready for Andorra tomorrow and the hill top finish.

 

[dibo]

valverde would be an absolute killer bet for this finish, if only he were racing.

 

[Tittirongi]

Was anyone else screaming at their TV for David Millar to go faster faster faster?

Can't wait for the Pyrenees tonight, should be a great stage to sort out the contenders

 

[Morgan30]

The  rain keeps falling here so looks like i wont have to be up early to referee so a long night is ahead

I was as well Rex just couldnt hold on, was happy to see my tip for the God of Thunder come true hes been up there so far and deserved to get one, close race in the sprinters jersey now

 

[Sean]

Just started my fantasy tour the other night.

Thor Hushovd Cervlo TestTeam                        
Jrme Pineau Quick Step                                
Mark Renshaw Team Columbia-High Road                
Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank                
Bradley Wiggins Garmin Slipstream                
Lance Amstrong Astana                          
Matthew Lloyd Silence-Lotto
Tyler Farrar Garmin Slipstream
Michael Rogers Team Columbia-High Road
Team Columbia-High Road

 

[Atomic]

Was anyone else screaming at their TV for David Millar to go faster faster faster?

Can't wait for the Pyrenees tonight, should be a great stage to sort out the contenders

Big effort from Millar last night. Poor bastard. From about 20km to go I never really thought he was going to succeed but he just kept hanging in there. The kms kept clicking down and he just kept pumping those legs but the race was about 1000m too long.

 

[marinermick]

Really excited about stage 7. This is the exact route we took up to Andorra from Barcelona when doing the drive a few years ago. Should see some familiar scenery.

 

[Auburn Mariner]

So, Alberto Contador showed his true colours. No surprise, really.

A quick look at race profiles shows that the next two days could be VERY painful for the Peleton.

A quick note; Dibo is spot on, Voeckler is regarded by all and sundry as a knob and show-pony, makes Wendell Sailor look like a recluse.

For those that don't have digital TV, SBS are covering the Tour live on the Net. Try this: http://tdf.sbs.com.au/tdf2009/web/flash/index.html

 

[tuftman]

lol at Cancellara and Hushovd getting up Cadel. Do they really think he's going to to anything just because they want him to? (now ive said this, I bet he does)

 

[scottmac]

lol at Cancellara and Hushovd getting up Cadel. Do they really think he's going to to anything just because they want him to? (now ive said this, I bet he does)

This pisses me off, if Cadel wants to have a go why not let him. Cadels mum said on the tour website that he pretty much has to race a 120km time trial to get anywhere in this race. Poor bastard makes a good break and no-one will support him.

 

[dibo]

As is often the case, Cyclingnews is on top of the story:

Evans attacks but fails to gain time

By:    Richard Moore
Published:    July 11, 18:37,
Updated:    July 11, 18:56
Race:    Tour de France

Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) lit up the early part of the eighth stage, going on the attack to try and claw back some of the time he conceded in the first week. He began the day in 18th, 3:07 down, but surprised everyone when he joined a counter-attack on the climb of Port dEnvalira, and then worked hard to drive the move clear.

"I get so sick of being told, Why dont you go in an early break? Why dont you do this? Why dont you do that? Do you think anyone in the Tour de France would let me go in a break?"

With the presence of Evans, who has finished second overall in the last two Tours, the break was arguably always doomed to failure, but the Australian earned praise from most observers for at least having a go, even if his tactics baffled some others including Johan Bruyneel, the Astana team director.

At the finish, as he spoke to reporters, there was a glimpse of the Evans that began last years Tour as the favourite, and appeared less than comfortable with the attendant pressure.

"I took advantage of an opportunity at the start, but to no avail, "said Evans. "It wasnt planned."

Then he turned his guns on the media; to be precise, "ignorant members of the media who say I never attack."

He continued: "I get so sick of being told, Why dont you go in an early break? Why dont you do this? Why dont you do that? Do you think anyone in the Tour de France would let me go in a break?"

He was similarly unimpressed with his breakaway companions. "I get in the breakaway and they carry on like three-year olds with a tantrum, saying, Err, get out of the group they are going to chase us. Honestly, that is typical bike riders tactics. They are more than welcome to go back to the peloton if they want."

Regaining his cool, Evans added: "I saw an opportunity, I had nothing to lose but as it turned out, it was a big waste of energy."

Despite that, Evans promised to "have a go at Verbier," in eight days. "Ill seek more opportunities," he said.

Bruyneel seemed confused, meanwhile, by Evanss tactics. "I was surprised to see him attack so early in the stage," said the Astana director. "I dont know what the purpose was, because we still consider him one of the favourites, [even] though he has lost three minutes.

"I dont know what his intention was," continued Bruyneel. "Its a long climb, but if you look at the profile, you can see there are 154km [from the summit] to the finish. I didnt really understand, but we just kept the team together and controlled the situation. It didnt do us a lot of damage it did him more damage, I think."

Silence-Lotto director: teams have to work together to beat Astana

By:    Richard Moore
Published:    July 11, 22:07,
Updated:    July 11, 22:24
Race:    Tour de France

Cadel Evans said that his attack on stage eight wasn't planned, and that was confirmed by comments made by Silence-Lotto director Henrik Redant on the morning of the stage.

With his team leader sitting at 18th overall, 3:07 behind the Astana juggernaut, Redant saw little opportunity for Evans to gain time until the race heads to Switzerland at the end of next week.

"The race is blocked now for a week," Redant said in Andorra, dismissing Saturday's and Sunday's Pyrenean stages.

"Nothing will happen today," he confidently predicted. "Nothing will happen until Verbier. A guy will win today but nothing will happen to affect overall classification."

Barely an hour later, Evans was on the attack. To be fair to Redant, he had said that his team leader would seek opportunities to make up his time, saying "he will be aggressive he will attack," but adding: "You can't go running around like a chicken with no head you have to think about it."

If there was a criticism of Evans's move it was certainly not that it lacked ambition, but that it didn't appear to be thought through, given the distance from the summit of the first climb to the finish around 150km.

Redant also suggested that, in order for a non-Astana rider to win the Tour, other teams will have to join forces. "But it can't be pre-planned," he said, "it will have to happen on the road, if the opportunity is there."

"The other teams will have to work together," added Redant. "Not everyone has three or four leaders like Astana. If you really want to achieve something, you must work together."

Perhaps trying to emulate Floyd Landis in his epic 130km breakaway of 2006, Evans gambled, but found no allies in the ultimately futile move. When he was caught, it was Caisse d'Epargne's Luis Leon Sanchez, not Evans, who would break free to take the stage win and make up nearly two minutes in the general classification.

On the suspected alliance between Sanchez' good friend Alberto Contador (Astana) and the Caisse d'Epargne team, Redant was less than enthusiastic. "I thought when Cadel attacked [on the climb to the finish of Friday's stage] it was weird that Caisse d'Epargne chased. It was the same situation in the Dauphin Libr, when Cadel attacked and Contador closed the gap for [Caisse d'Epargne's team leader] Alejandro Valverde.

He's either '3rd wheel Cadel' or 'waste of effort Cadel'. Can't win.

 

[Tittirongi]

If I was in a break, I wouldn't help a GC contender either, especially if it is to the detriment to my team mates.. Hushovd - Sastre, Cancellara - Schleck(s).

Part of cycling at every level and makes perfect sense

 

[dibo]

There's a theory that I think holds a bit of water - Cadel only came over from mountain biking pretty late. He was very accomplished, twice winning the World Cup for the Volvo-Cannondale team. He had no luck at the World Champs though, doing no better than 2nd including basically getting bumped from his bike by the eventual winner one year.

As he didn't do the road thing for ages, he didn't learn the basics of road tactics and etiquette. He developed physically, he gained an impeccable internal rhythm and drive and has a great mix of power and endurance. He's alo a very good bike handler and a very gutsy and fast descender. He didn't get the street smarts and the sort of assumed knowledge that other roadies have.

Consequently he's a bit of an outsider, sometimes being a bit baffling and unusual. Never a bad rider, just unorthodox.

 

[tuftman]

There's a theory that I think holds a bit of water - Cadel only came over from mountain biking pretty late. He was very accomplished, twice winning the World Cup for the Volvo-Cannondale team. He had no luck at the World Champs though, doing no better than 2nd including basically getting bumped from his bike by the eventual winner one year.

As he didn't do the road thing for ages, he didn't learn the basics of road tactics and etiquette. He developed physically, he gained an impeccable internal rhythm and drive and has a great mix of power and endurance. He's alo a very good bike handler and a very gutsy and fast descender. He didn't get the street smarts and the sort of assumed knowledge that other roadies have.

Consequently he's a bit of an outsider, sometimes being a bit baffling and unusual. Never a bad rider, just unorthodox.

I was actually thinking about that last night when they mentioned his Mountain Biking background. He seems very willing and able to attack at any minute, just perhaps hasn't got the street smarts that the others have? I wonder whether Cancellara might consider working on his climbing over the next year or so, and have a genuine crack at the GC in years to come?

 

[Tittirongi]

Back to the Green Jersey fight tonight.

I think Cav will win, if he makes it to Paris, otherwise it'll be Hushovd

 

[dibo]

He'll make it to Paris. He finished the Giro last year, he bailed on le Tour for the Olympics last year and the Giro for le Tour this year.

 

[Tittirongi]

It's a big final week...

Ventoux would be hell for a sprinter (or any normal person) especially working within a time limit.

I know he won't pull out, but he may not have a choice.

 

[clarence]

lol at Cancellara and Hushovd getting up Cadel. Do they really think he's going to to anything just because they want him to? (now ive said this, I bet he does)

This pisses me off, if Cadel wants to have a go why not let him. Cadels mum said on the tour website that he pretty much has to race a 120km time trial to get anywhere in this race. Poor bastard makes a good break and no-one will support him.

This is something I find very annoying over the last few Tours with Cadel.

He has twice been right in the mix for overall victory and his team has never been able to protect him, not just this year, and yet you have a team with TWO contenders for the Overall Winner's title (Astana with Armstrong & Contador) and no one is able to isolate them or drive them back in the peloton or whatever is needed to make these guys lose time.

I can appreciate after the first Second Placing that Cadel had to admit his team wasn't up to being able to protect him, but coming into the last year's Tour and this year's, he should have been able to command a very good team lineup to get him the assistance he needs from Silence-Lotto or hawked himself to another team that would have assured him of a decent team lineup.

As for those idiots in the break away demanding he get back into the Peloton, he's quite right to tell them to f**k off, but I'm surprised he didn't keep pushing and break completely away and stuff everybody's plans up - including Astana's.

He has to make up a lot of time, sitting in the Peloton from day to day and maybe hoping to claw back some seconds or maybe half a minute in a Time Trial, is not going to get him into contention. He would be playing into Astana's strengths by hanging with the Peloton, he would be better off taking some angry pills and forcing the Peloton to work harder (and maybe blowing out a few Astana support riders) by providing his speed to a break away group whenever one gets off.

The Silence - Lotto team seems to be quite an incompetent mob.

 

[dibo]

Cadel and Lotto have been unlucky though - last wear in Popovych they bought well on paper but the rider simply didn't perform. Similarly they bought Bernard Kohl and Thomas Dekker who were both great riders, it just turns out they were juiced. They've been trying, but all their big buys have failed to work out.